Petition to allow pets in BC suites gets over 10,000 signatures
Posted October 1, 2017 8:47 pm.
Last Updated October 1, 2017 8:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Finding a place to live in the Lower Mainland is hard enough, but having a pet makes the search all that much worse.
However a group with a petition fighting for your furry friends is getting a lot of support.
A petition from Pets OK BC has collected over 10,000 signatures to remove the “no pets policy” from the Tenancy Act.
“We think families with pets should have equal access to housing, equal opportunity, and not face discrimination when it comes to looking for a place to live,” says the organization’s Eliot Galan.
He says pets don’t cause more damage to suites than other things like smoking or kids. Galan cites a US survey from a group called Firepaw that says on average pet owners pay about $50 (CDN) more in repairs than those who don’t have pets.
But tenants with kids pay about $200 more.
“I believe families with children deserve equal protection as well, but I definitely think that families with pets have every right to housing as the rest of us.”
On Sunday, October 22nd Galan is taking the petition to a rally for pets outside the BC Legislature and he hopes to speak with Premier John Horgan and Housing Minister Selina Robinson.
“I am not quite confident that they will recognize that pet-friendly housing is in such short supply that it requires urgent attention.”
